1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an apparatus for holding an inverted container, and more particularly to an apparatus that holds an inverted container in a vertical orientation as the container rests on the surface of a base.
2. Description of the Related Art
There exists many undesirable aspects associated with the contents of a container settling to the bottom of the container. Examples of two notable and very common containers are ketchup and mustard containers. These containers can be made of either plastic or glass. These types of containers 10 have a central axis 11. The containers 10 have a top 12 and a bottom 13. A neck 14 is often near the top 12, and a body 15 is between the neck 14 and bottom 13. The contents of the container 10 usually exit the container 10 though an opening at the top 12 of the container 10. One problem associated with these types of containers 10 is that as the contents settle, water sometimes separates from the contents. In order to remove the contents from the container 10, the user inverts the container and the contents are either squeezed out or fall out due to the force of gravity. In either case any water that has separated from the remainder of the contents is first to exit the container 10, which is undesirable.
One way to avoid this problem is to shake up the contents of the container 10 before attempting to extract the contents. However, this practice is undesirable as it may not be socially acceptable to shake the container at a given location, such as certain types of restaurants. Also, there exists a risk that the container 10 could slip out of a person's hands while the person is shaking it. The container 10 could then inadvertently strike nearby persons or objects. Further, if the container 10 is made of glass, it could shatter if it strikes a hard object after slipping out of a person's hands.
Another problem associated with these types of containers 10 is that it can be difficult to extract all of the contents from the container. Shaking the container 10 may help alleviate this problem. However, as noted above, shaking the container 10 can be undesirable. Further, this method may not be fully effective at removing contents from the container 10.
One way people try to overcome these problems is to store the containers in an inverted manner. One common practice is to delicately store the container 10 in an inverted manner in a refrigerator. The refrigerator has a door with shelves. The person puts the container 10 on a shelf in a corner and propped against the door. Yet, the container 10 often falls over when a person opens or closes the door. Even when the container is successfully stored in an inverted manner in a refrigerator, the benefits of this storage practice are quickly lost when the container 10 is placed upright on a surface 31 of a serving area 30, as the contents will tend to again settle to the bottom of the container.
United States Patent Number Design 318,393 to Shea et al. shows a bottle holder. However, there is no teaching or suggestions contained in this patent that the bottle holder could be used to hold a bottle in an inverted manner. Even if the bottle holder shown in this patent could hold a bottle in an inverted manner, it would yield undesirable results. A typical bottle has a body and a neck, wherein the neck is narrower than the body. When inverted, the narrower neck is below the wider body. Yet, this patent shows a bottle holder that is relatively narrow near its top and relatively wide near its base. Hence, this bottle holder appears incompatible for use with typical bottles. Also, the sides are arcuate shaped, which inhibits deflection of the sides. There is no indication that a bottle held by the bottle holder shown in this patent is fully received within the bottle holder. This is undesirable because the center of gravity of the combination of a bottle held by the bottle holder and the bottle holder may be undesirably high if the bottle does not rest on the base of the bottle holder.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,271,878 to Bologa shows a liquid transfer device. This patent shows a holder that receives the neck of a bottle. The center of gravity of the combination of the liquid transfer device and bottle is undesirably high. Therefore, if a bottle were stored in this device, it would be at an increased risk of falling or being unintentionally knocked over.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,109,581 to Kracke et al. shows an inverted container holder. A cylindrical piece is shown for receiving an inverted container. However, in order to effectively work, the cylindrical piece must be sized for a particular container. Containers that are too narrow may topple within the holder. Containers that are too wide will not fit within the holder. Therefore, the user must have several different sized holders on hand to meet the needs of a particular container. Further, a cylindrical holder is only designed for a cylindrical container. Yet, many containers are not cylindrical in shape. This patent does not show deflectable sides that can receive bottles of various sized and shapes.
Thus there exists a need for an apparatus for holding an inverted container that solves these and other problems.